by Jonah Sachs ‘20

 The summer after junior year often can be the most rewarding for students. Having finished up a hard year of APs and maintaining praise-worthy GPAs in preparation for college, many teens use the following summer to relax and unwind before their final year of high school begins. Unknown to many students, though, there exists a multitude of internships and research opportunities to take advantage of, for the sole purpose of gaining experience in their fields of interest. When approaching the application process, too, many students don’t know the importance of career-focused experience. It simply isn’t talked about.

 When deciding whether you want to go into culinary sciences or physical therapy, cancer research or immunology, many students take to applying for internships to guide their paths. Whether it be within local companies, at larger government facilities, or at university buildings, high-school internships are in no shortage. The only problem is that students don’t often know where to look or how to get accepted. The truth of the matter is that one single email can go further than expected, if you do your research.

 When going about applying for internships and work experience, many students look for college faculty first and foremost. Finding a professor in your field of interest can be challenging, but once you have one, expressing your interest in their research is sometimes all it takes. University staff appreciate youth interested in their specialty, and if you’re looking to gain some experience, they may just have a spot for you.

 Other ways of finding experiences such as those include a simple Google search. It’s just as easy to find local companies with your interests as it is to find professors of the same nature. Granted they accept high school students, you’re likely to find what you’re looking for with enough digging. Whether applying for out-of-state research programs or interning at your local biotech company, students have the opportunity to gain pre-college career experience. They just have to dig for it.

 No matter the interest, students can find research experiences with relative ease. The only way to get one, however, is to search for it, apply to it, and clear way for it in their summer. Applying midway through junior year gives these students prime opportunities to advance their knowledge in the field and help push their passion-projects forward. Although daunting, sometimes all it takes is an email or a websearch. It’s that easy.